Beet salad with pistachios, goat cheese and an orange vinaigrette

For anyone that’s been following along on Instagram you’ll know I was having just a few computer issues. But thankfully I have a new computer and I managed to save most of my photos, all the important ones anyways. I did lose a few hundred food ones, which seems like a big deal and it’s not great – but they can be reshot. The ones of my daughter cannot – so I’m grateful that they were recovered.

Anyways, now that I’m back I’m anxious to drop my first recipe for you guys.

The last couple weeks I have got so many beautiful beets in my YYC Growers Harvest Box, that I have to start with a beet recipe. I wanted to do a beet salad to showcase the delicate flavour they can have when used raw.

So here it is: raw beets with toasted pistachios, goat cheese and an orange parsley vinaigrette.

YIELD – 4 servings

INGREDIENTS

Salad

4-6 beets, average size, about 2-3 in., (you can use whatever kind of beets you like, I used a mix of red, candy, golden and white beets).

1/4 cup chopped toasted pistachios

4 oz. goat cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Dressing

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

3 tbsp rice vinegar

Juice from one orange (about 1/4 cup)

1 tbsp finely chopped parsley

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 325F. Lay pistachios on a small oven tray lined with parchment paper and bake in oven for about 5-7 min until they become fragrant and light brown but not burnt. Then remove from oven to let cool and set aside.

Put together all the ingredients for the dressing into a small mixing bowl and whisk until combined, then set aside.

Slice the beets as thinly as possible – a mandolin works great if you have one.

Put the beets in a bowl and pour the dressing over top, toss until well coated. Then lay them out on whatever you’re serving the salad in.

Crumble the goat cheese over the salad. Roughly chop the pistachios and sprinkle on the salad. Season with salt and pepper and serve.

It’s that easy.

Some of you are probably wondering about the raw beets…most people are used to having them roasted. Are they ok to eat raw – absolutely! They are delicious raw, but not in huge chunks. Slicing them thinly allows you to enjoy the delicate sweet, earthy flavour with a little crunch that you don’t get when they’re cooked.

And if you find them to hard for your liking, make the salad ahead of time and let it sit for a few hours. The dressing will soften them up just enough. In fact, this salad does really well as leftovers; because the beets are so crunchy they absorb the dressing and soften but don’t ever get soggy. I mean eventually they will, but it will take a couple of days.

Guys this salad is simple, flavourful and lucky for you it’s also jam-packed with some pretty essential vitamins and minerals; so you can’t go wrong.